Senate committee hears hours of public testimony on bill to let counties opt out of Oregon ban on using dogs to hunt cougars

Chair Golden opened a public hearing on Feb. 11, 2025, for Senate Bill 769, a proposal that would allow counties to be exempt from Oregon’s 1994 ban on using dogs to pursue cougars if the county’s voters or governing body approve an exemption and notify the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW).

The bill drew extended testimony from more than 50 signups and a mix of hunters, county officials, wildlife and animal-welfare advocates. Supporters said local control and hound hunting are needed to address steep declines in mule deer and other ungulates; opponents said Measure 18 and subsequent public opinion reject hound hunting as cruel, and they cited scientific studies and ODFW management plans that, they said, do not support expanding hound hunting.

“The people that live in these impacted communities [should have] the opportunity to determine what is best for their county,” Union…